101 Awesome Women Who Changed Our World

by Louise Wright

  Indira supported the formation of Bangladesh in 1971, worked hard to fight food shortages, and introduced equal pay for women. But in 1975 she was found guilty of election fraud. Instead of resigning, Indira announced a state of emergency. Her decisions over the next two years were often controversial.

  “My father was a statesman; I am a political woman. My father was a saint; I’ am not.”

  Indira lost the 1977 election but won back power in 1980. In 1984 she ordered her army to attack a militant Sikh group that was based in the Golden Temple in Amritsar. Hundreds of militants were killed, but so were countless innocent worshippers. There was also damage to the temple, which is one of the most sacred Sikh sites in India. Four months after the massacre Indira was assassinated by her Sikh bodyguards.

  Sheryl Sandberg

  Businesswoman

  (b.1969)

  Sheryl Sandberg is one of today’s most successful and influential business leaders.

  Born in Washington DC, USA, Sheryl studied economics at Harvard University, Massachusetts. There she co-founded a group called Women in Economics and Government. One of her tutors was the economist Larry Summers. She later worked for him at the World Bank from 1991 to 1993 and, after completing her masters degree, as his chief of staff at the Treasury Department.

  “A truly equal world would be one where women ran half our countries and companies and men ran half our homes.”

  In 2001 Sheryl moved into the world of tech when she joined Google. Her job was to find a way for the company to make a profit. She achieved this by selling advertising, and was promoted to vice president. In 2008 Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg hired Sheryl as his second-in-command. Facebook was four years old and already huge but it wasn’t making money. Sheryl brought in advertising and the company was in profit within two years.

  In 2013 Sheryl published Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead and launched an online forum called Leanin.org. Both offered inspiration and support to women in business. Her next book, Option B, was a response to her husband’s sudden death in 2015. It gave advice on recovering from life’s difficulties.

  Shirin Ebadi

  Human Rights Lawyer and Activist

  (b.1947)

  Born into an Iranian family that strongly believed in equal rights, Shirin Ebadi grew up knowing that she was worth just as much as her brothers. Her father made sure that Shirin received the same education and opportunities as his sons. This attitude was rare in Iran at the time. Girls were expected to be quiet, obedient, and grow up to run the household.

  Shirin attended school and university in Tehran, encouraged by her parents to study law. In 1969 she became Iran’s first female judge. She completed her doctorate in law two years later. Shirin was the first woman to be appointed Chief Justice, and was president of the city court of Tehran from 1975 to 1979.

  The 1979 Revolution in Iran brought a very strict and traditional Islamic group to power. Women were stripped of many of their rights. They were no longer allowed to be judges, so Shirin and her female colleagues were demoted to work as clerks. Shirin refused and took early retirement in 1980. For the next 23 years Shirin wrote books and articles about democracy, Islam, and equality for women.

  “Human rights is a universal standard. It is a component of every religion and every civilization.”

  Shirin was finally allowed to work as a lawyer again in 1993. Most of her clients were women, children, and political prisoners and she often worked for free. The Iranian government saw that she was a threat. Shirin faced arrests, a five-year suspended jail sentence, and almost lost her law license. It was only thanks to international pressure that Iran backtracked and allowed her to keep it.

  In 2001 Shirin and four other lawyers founded the Defenders of Human Rights Center (DHRC), an organization that raises awareness of human rights issues and supports political prisoners and their families. The DHRC received France’s prestigious Human Rights Prize in 2003.

  Shirin’s tireless work was recognized when she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2003. She was the first Iranian and the first Muslim woman to receive it.

  Shirin supported the One Million Signatures campaign, founded in 2006. Its aim was to collect the signatures of a million Iranians in support of equal rights for women. The government reacted to the pressure by persecuting key members of the campaign and their family members.

  In 2009 Shirin publicly announced her distrust of Iran’s election results. Not for the first time, her home and offices were raided, some of her possessions were seized, and she received death threats. Shirin went to live in exile in the UK but she has not abandoned her home country. No matter where she is, Shirin will be pushing for human rights in Iran.

  Rosa Parks

  Civil Rights Activist

  (1913–2005)

  In 1955 a simple act of defiance on a local bus led to the birth of the civil rights movement. When Rosa Parks quietly but courageously refused to give up her seat to a white man, she drew attention to the racism she experienced as a black woman in the United States.

  Rosa was born Rosa McCauley in Alabama, one of the US states that had segregation laws in place at that time—laws that kept black and white people separate and treated African Americans as second-class citizens. Under these laws, schools for black children were often not as good as white children’s schools and it was acceptable to pay black professionals less than white people who were doing the same jobs. Some states even outlawed mixed-race marriage.

  Rosa left school when she was 11 years old to look after her sick grandmother. After her grandmother died, Rosa’s mother became ill. Rosa ran the household and took care of her mother.

  In 1932 Rosa married a barber called Raymond Parks. He encouraged her to return to her studies and in 1933 Rosa completed her high school diploma. Raymond belonged to a civil rights organization called the National Association of the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Rosa joined too and became secretary of the Montgomery group.

  At the beginning of December 1955, Rosa boarded a bus and sat in the area where the seats were for black people as usual. After a few stops, some white passengers got on but all the white seats were taken. The bus driver ordered Rosa and a few others to give up their seats. Rosa refused and was arrested for breaking segregation laws. A few days later, on the day of Rosa’s trial, the NAACP organized a boycott of Montgomery’s buses. All of the city’s 40,000 black workers took part.

  “I would like to be known as a person who is concerned about freedom and equality and justice and prosperity for all people.”

  That evening the city’s black community met and founded the Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA), choosing a Baptist minister called Martin Luther King. Jr, as its leader. The MIA’s Montgomery Bus Boycott lasted more than a year. It finally ended in December 1956, when a law was passed to end segregation on buses, trains, and trams. It was an enormous victory for the civil rights movement and the first of many non-violent protests that gradually brought greater equality.

  Rosa continued to campaign all her life. She also worked as secretary to the African-American politician John Conyers, another champion of civil rights, for more than 20 years. In 1999 Rosa was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, one of the highest civilian awards in the United States.

  Wangari Maathai

  Environmental Activist

  (1940–2011)

  If it weren’t for Wangari Maathai, her native Kenya would look radically different. The environmental activist, politician, feminist, human rights campaigner, and scientist improved the situation of hundreds of thousands of Kenyans and other Africans, and also the lands they live in.

  Born Wangari Muta in a village near Mount Kenya, she grew up with breathtaking scenery. Being so close to nature inspired a lot of her later work. After graduating from high school, Wangari studied abroad and in Kenya, earning degrees in biology and a PhD in veterinary anatomy. She taught at Nairobi University and became a professor in 1977.

&nbs
p; “We cannot tire or give up. We owe it to the present and future generations of all species to rise up and walk!”

  That same year, Wangari started the Green Belt Movement. She had seen how chopping down trees harmed wildlife and rural communities. She began paying women a small amount of money for each tree they planted.

  The movement spread throughout Africa. To date more than fifty million trees have been planted and wildlife is coming back in many areas. The organization has also trained tens of thousands of women so that they can earn a living without harming the environment.

  In 2004 Wangari was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. It recognized the importance of her Green Belt Movement and also her efforts to make Kenya more democratic.

  Graça Foster

  Engineer and Businesswoman

  (b.1953)

  In Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the difference between wealth and poverty is stark. While those with money often live in gated communities, the poor inhabit slums called favelas on the outskirts of the city. Housing is makeshift, crime rates are high, and diseases spread fast. Few people escape this poverty, but Graça Foster did just that.

  Born Maria das Graças, she was raised by her mother in a favela on the edge of Rio. She paid for her school books by collecting trash that could be recycled and selling it. After high school Graça went to university to study chemical engineering.

  In 1978 Graça started working for oil giant Petrobras, South America’s largest company. In her spare time she studied, completing three more degrees—two in engineering and one in economics. In 1985 she married British-born Colin Foster and took his surname.

  “I gave up a lot for my career, but I’m very happy for it. I’ve done what I’ve always thought was best for me and my family.”

  Between 2003 and 2005 Graça was an advisor to Dilma Rousseff, the government minister for mines and energy. Graça returned to Petrobras, joined the board of directors in 2007, and became CEO in 2012. The first woman to head a big oil-and-gas company, Graca was included in Time magazine’s 2012 list of the “100 Most Influential People.” Graça left Petrobas in 2015 because of a corruption scandal but she is still respected for reaching the top in a business that is dominated by men.

  Berta Cáceres

  Human Rights Activist

  (1972–2016)

  In 2009 a military takeover brought chaos and uncertainty to the Central American country of Honduras. Gang violence increased, there was widespread corruption, and increasing numbers of Hondurans were in extreme poverty. Life was especially hard for women and indigenous peoples. Many thousands fled across the border.

  At the same time, the Honduran government radically changed its policies on managing the land. It earmarked huge areas for “megaprojects,” such as mines and hydroelectric dams. The people who lived on the land weren’t consulted. They were forced to leave and local wildlife was destroyed.

  The state did all it could to silence any protests. The activist Berta Cáceres (born Berta Isabel Cáceres Flores) was especially outspoken. She risked her life to support people’s rights and protect the land.

  Berta lived in the city of La Esperanza and grew up with a strong sense of social justice. Her mother Austra was an inspirational role model—a midwife, activist, and mayor who took refugee women into her own home.

  Berta belonged to the Lenca, the largest indigenous group in Honduras. In 1993 she co-founded the Council of Popular and Indigenous Organizations of Honduras (COPINH). Its aim was to defend Lenca lands, fight logging, dams, and mining projects, and campaign for more health care and schools in Lenca communities.

  In 2010 just after the military coup, Lenca people in western Honduras asked Berta and the COPINH to help them stop the Agua Zarca hydroelectric project. The dam was going to alter the course of the Gualcarque river, a source of water and food for many local communities. The locals would have to leave their homes.

  Over the next five years, Berta led the campaign to stop the Agua Zarca Dam. She set up human roadblocks to prevent building materials reaching the site. The army and police fired at the protestors on several occasions and Berta received death threats. In 2015 her story was publicized worldwide when she won the Goldman Environmental Prize, which celebrates the work of grassroots environmental activists.

  In March 2016 assassins broke into Berta’s home and shot her dead. Following Berta’s murder, the firms backing the dam pulled out and the project was abandoned. It was a great victory but at a terrible price.

  The COPINH marked its 25th anniversary in 2018. In memory of Berta, it continues to take action and coordinate the Lencas’ struggle to keep their land.

  Yaa Asantewaa

  Ashanti Leader

  (c.1840–1921)

  Today’s Ghana has a region in the south called Ashanti. It is named after the Ashanti people who make up most of its population. The Ashanti live in groups called clans, each with its own chief. In 1670, these clans had teamed up to form the Ashanti Kingdom, under the leadership of a single king. It grew rich and powerful selling gold and slaves to the British, Dutch, and Danes who had set up trading posts along the coast (known as the Gold Coast).

  By the time Yaa Asantewaa was born, the British had taken over the other Europeans’ Gold Coast forts. During the 1870s they ransacked the Ashanti capital Kumasi, built a fort opposite the king’s palace, and demanded huge taxes.

  Yaa Asantewaa was Ashanti royalty. Her brother was chief of Edweso from the 1880s until his death in 1894, when the throne passed to Yaa Asantewaa’s grandson Kofi Tene.

  In 1896 the British demanded that the Ashanti give up their lands and become part of the British Empire. When King Prempeh I refused, he was captured and deported, along with Kofi Tene and some other chiefs. Yaa Asantewaa took over as chief of Edweso. Even with their king gone, the Ashanti continued to resist British rule. Frustrated, the British governor of the Gold Coast ordered them to hand over the Golden Stool, the most precious and powerful object in the kingdom. It was a sacred symbol, kept in a secret place known only to the king and his trusted officials.

  “I must say this: if you, the men of Ashanti, will not go forward, then we will. We, the women, will. I shall call upon my fellow women. We will fight!”

  The Ashanti chiefs met to discuss the humiliating demand. The Golden Stool was the foundation of their society—handing it over would spell the end of Ashanti independence. Yaa Asantewaa was the guardian of the Golden Stool at the time. Seeing the fear all around her, she fired a gun into the air and rallied the chiefs with a rousing speech.

  Impressed, the chiefs made Yaa Asantewaa the first female commander-in-chief of the Ashanti army. She was a smart choice. She ordered each village to build a defensive stockade and won back the capital with siege tactics—preventing supplies reaching the British fort. Her use of drums on the battlefield terrified the British forces. At first Yaa Asantewaa’s tactics were successful, but in 1901 the British shipped in more troops, overwhelmed the 5,000 Ashanti fighters, and won the War of the Golden Stool. Yaa Asantewaa was sent into exile in the Seychelles, islands off East Africa.

  The Gold Coast region was under British rule, but the Ashanti king and chiefs were eventually allowed to return. Yaa Asantewaa’s bravery was celebrated in songs and, in 1957, Ghana gained independence once more.

  Eva Perón

  First Lady of Argentina

  (1919–52)

  Eva Perón (born Eva Maria Duarte) became an important political figure in Argentina without ever being elected. She grew up in extreme poverty, but became a successful film and radio actor.

  In 1945 Eva married politician Juan Perón. When he became president, “Evita” (as the people called her) unofficially ran two government departments. She increased wages and funded hospitals, orphanages, schools, and care homes. She also helped to pass the law that gave women the right to vote. In 1951 Eva’s followers begged her to stand for vice president, but she was ill with cancer. She died aged 33, but remains an icon to this day. Her story is the
subject of a popular musical, Evita (1976).

  Indra Nooyi

  Businesswoman

  (b.1955)

  Indra Nooyi (born Indra Krishnamurthy) studied physics, chemistry, and mathematics at the university in her home town of Madras (now Chennai) in southern India. In 1978 she moved to the United States to complete a two-year masters degree at Yale in Connecticut.

  Indra was a business consultant before joining PepsiCo, the world’s second-largest food and drink company. By 2006 she was its first female CEO. Within ten years Indra had boosted PepsiCo’s profits by 160 percent. She also responded to changing lifestyles by introducing healthier products. Indra values her staff. Each year she writes a personal letter to each of her 400 senior executives’ parents, thanking them for their child’s valuable contribution.

  Leymah Gbowee

  Peace Activist

  (b.1972)

  Leymah Gbowee was born in Liberia, West Africa. When she was 17 years old civil war broke out and she fled to Ghana as a refugee. She trained as a social worker and counsellor so she could help traumatized child soldiers.

  In 2000 Leymah was at the first Women in Peacebuilding Network (WIPNET) meeting. In 2002 she organized Liberian women from all religious backgrounds to hold peaceful protests against the civil war. Eventually their pressure resulted in peace talks and the 14-year war ended. In 2009, Leymar won the Nobel Peace Prize. Today she runs the Gbowee Peace Foundation Africa which educates girls, teenagers, and women in West Africa.